Tea and Coffee Vie for Attention at Baghdad Festival

The third edition of Iraq’s Coffee and Tea Festival in Baghdad has brought a longstanding cultural rivalry into focus, with both drinks competing for a place in visitors’ affections.

Through the observations and impressions of participants and visitors, the festival offered a glimpse of the deep roots tea and coffee have in Iraqi society.

The rivalry is about more than taste. The attachment to each drink is bound up with heritage, giving the choice between them a cultural significance beyond the cup.

The Baghdad gathering put that competition at the heart of the occasion. But the impressions surrounding the festival pointed to an enduring debate rather than a clear winner: does tea or coffee hold the stronger claim on Iraqi tastes?